Discount Store

Dollar General Corp. has added to its portfolio through an acquisition.    The Federal Trade Commission has approved the sale of 323 Dollar Express stores by Sycamore Partners to Dollar General, reported Reuters. The Dollar Express chain is made up of former Family Dollar stores that Family Dollar sold to Sycamore Partners in late 2015. Sycamore Partners bought the stores in 2015 when Dollar Tree sold the stores in order to win antitrust approval to buy the Family Dollar chain.   

Target Corp. is extending its progress to renewable energy and making progress on its goal to have 500 buildings with rooftop solar panels by 2020.   

In an action that reflects its strong performance, Costco Wholesale Corp. is about to return some $3.1 billion to investors.    The retailer announced a special cash dividend on Costco common stock of $7.00 per share, payable May 26, 2017, to shareholders. The dividend is in addition to a 5 cent increase of the company’s quarterly cash dividend to 50 cents a share.  

One does not live by bargains alone, and the latest outlet center to realize that and pick up its food and beverage game is The Outlets at Legends in Sparks, Nevada.   RED Development announced that six new restaurants are slated to open at the center, including The Habit Burger Grill, Jersey Mike’s Subs, and Chick-Fil-A. A 75,000-sq.-ft. retail space expansion is also underway, led by a 40,000-sq.-ft. Burlington Coat Factory outlet with a planned opening in spring of 2018.  

Bankrupt sporting goods retailer Gander Mountain may live to see another day.   Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings Inc. is planning to bid for as many as 80% of Gander Mountain’s stores, Bloomberg reported. Gander Mountain filed for bankruptcy on March 10.  

Macy’s is getting more serious about its off-price format, Macy’s Backstage.   The department store giant plans to add 30 Backstage shops to existing Macy’s stores this year, reported CNBC. The format debuted in 2015, originally as a freestanding store.   

Retailers concerned over the pending border-adjusted tax have boosted their lobbying efforts in Washington.   Target Corp., Gap Inc., and Best Buy Co. Inc. spent nearly $3.2 million combined on lobbying during the quarter – as opposed to just $830,000 in the same period a year ago – according to federal lobbying disclosures filed Thursday, Bloomberg reported, while Wal-Mart spent almost $2.2 million in the first quarter, an increase of $140,000 over the same time last year.   

99 Cents Only Stores turned in a strong sales performance for its fourth quarter, even as its net loss grew amid rising expenses.   The retailer reported a net loss of $20.9 million for the quarter, versus a net loss of $18.4 million in the year ago period.   Net sales increased 6.7% to $552.5 million, while same-store sales rose 6.4%. Average ticket gained 4.4% and customer traffic increased 1.9%. Operating loss was $6.5 million versus $2.7 million in the period a year prior.